Directed by Matt Earl Beesley
Written by Anthony E. Zuiker, Ann Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn, Floyd Byars & Rusty Cundieff
"No Good Deed" is the 16th episode of Season 5 and the 108th overall. It originally aired February 25, 2009.
As Stella and Mac are having coffee on the street, an eyeball lands in her cup. The team finds the rest of the body on a rooftop, partially eaten by vultures. Mac tells Stella he's thinking of visiting Ella McBride one last time; she discourages him.
Tropes for the episode:
- Circling Vultures: The team finds the body by following the vultures seeking to dine on it.
- Eyeball-Plucking Birds: Mac and Stella realize that there's a body when a vulture drops an eyeball plucked from it right into into Stella's coffee.
- Foreign-Language Tirade: Downplayed. While she doesn't angrily lash out, Stella does being jabbering in Greek when the eyeball lands in her coffee.
- If Only You Knew: As the episode ends, Ella asks Mac if he's heard the latest Urban Legend, about a vulture dropping an eyeball into a woman's coffee cup. He just smiles and says, "That's impossible."
- Spikes of Villainy: Subverted. A tall, muscular, tattooed, head-shaved suspect has a row of flesh-colored spikes implanted in his head, ala a mohawk. He has means and opportunity due to being caught on camera in the victim's apartment. Turns out he's the landlord there to finally address a complaint. He also moonlights as the announcer for women's wrestling and has good rapport with them. His body modification is just him asserting his individuality.
- That Came Out Wrong: Adam finds grainy footage of a possible suspect with flesh-colored spikes embedded in his skull. Mac asks him to try to identify the guy. Adam says, "I'll call Flack to see if he's had any reports of a horny perp in the area." Mac and Stella give each other a look and stand there grinning as Adam immediately realizes what he said.
